Sunday, March 30, 2008

Eastern States 20

Big thanks to Mindy and Stephen for making this one very fun day! All of us had the goal not to "race" this race, but get in the miles and just have a really good time out there. Mission accomplished. Stephen's good friend Brian decided last minute not to run because of a foot injury, so Stephen ended up running with us instead. We had a blast.

The Eastern States 20 is pretty neat because it goes through three states. It starts in Kittery, Maine, runs along the coast of New Hampshire, and ends just after the Massachusetts border. I'm not gonna lie, I thought it would be pretty nifty to run the Eastern States and the Western States in the same year.

Nice to run into Mark before the race, who was there to support his wife who was running. His toddler son looks just like him.

Somewhat fortunately, the race started at 11am, allowing things to warm up a bit. I'm guessing it was in the mid-30s when we were off. First mile was wicked slow with the crowds, but we didn't really care. After that, things thinned out. Our slower pace throughout allowed the conversation to flow like wine, and flow it did. Stephen will be my pacer at the Western States 100, so we went over some tentative game plans for that. Mindy and Stephen both have triathalon experience, so it was fun to listen in on the goings on in that world. Politics also came into play. Normally a dangerous area, but Stephen and I are on the same page with many of our views.

As we ran, we noted how beautiful the course was and it was nice to be able to gaze out at the ocean while we ran. Reminded me of the MDI Marathon somewhat in that aspect.

Around 15 miles in, Stephen's nose started bleeding. At first, a little, but it kind of got worse. I asked Stephen repeatedly if he was fine and suggested that we slow down, but he wouldn't have any part of that. So, I just kept checking up on him to make sure he was fine, and he was. Eventually, he got it somewhat under control, and he appeared no worse for the wear.

Worried about his nose and knowing that we just wanted to finish the race at this point, we picked up the pace the last few miles, hitting the last mile split in under seven minutes. Felt good doing it, which was nice after a pretty high mileage week for me. Afterwards, went out for drinks and grub at a pub in Portsmouth. Good times!

Stats according to the Garmin, and obviously unofficial:
Ran 20.2 miles @ 8:17/mile pace
AHR/MHR - 139/167
Paved roads.
Mostly flat.
Mid 30s, rising to around 40. Sunny.
Shorts, short sleeved shirt, Moeben sleeves, beanie.



Weekly recap:
Mon - 14.4
Tue - 0
Wed - 16.0
Thu - 11.1
Fri - 0
Sat - 11.8
Sun - 20.0

Weekly total = 73.3

Monthly recap (doubt I'll run tomorrow because of the weather):
274.6 miles running.
19.6 miles elliptical.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

If You Don't Like the Weather, Just Wait a Minute

Morning run started out innocently enough under bright, partly cloudy skies. A little after a mile, I made the left turn to climb the ridge. Within a few minutes the skies darkened and the flakes began to fall. Gently at first, but then harder. I had to wipe the snow off my fleece jacket several times, but by the time I reached the top of the ridge, it was over. Yup, a snow squall. As quickly as it began, it ended just as abruptly. The sun shined and the birds sang. It was as if it never happened. I passed the elk farm and enjoyed the downhill off the ridge and returned home. Neat run.

Tomorrow I'm running the Eastern States 20 with Mindy. We're not racing it, just using it as a slow training run for fun. Stephen and Brian will also be there. The race starts in Kittery, Maine, goes through New Hampshire, and ends in Massachussetts. That'll be fun.

Ran 11.8 miles @ 8:29/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 139/156
Paved roads with patches of slush, dirt roads with packed snow.
Very hilly.
Mid 20s, snow squalls, partly cloudy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Eleven and Ghosts

Ran an out and back along some back roads today. Moderate hills, constantly rolling but never anything really long or steep. Legs felt better than I thought they would which was nice. Rest day is planned for tomorrow, which is good timing given we're supposed to get over six inches of snow tomorrow (grrrrrrrr).

Ran 11.1 miles @ 8:13/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 139/169
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
Upper 40s, mostly cloudy.
Shorts, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt.

On a n0n-running note, my last class today was pretty small, so we had some fun at the end by looking up ghost videos on YouTube. Some were just of the annoying variety where a face would pop up suddenly in front of the screen and scream. But some were quite clever, like the one below. And while obviously it's a fake (or should I say probably?), they still did a great job of making it creepy:



After a string of well done ones like the above, we then came across this one:



I could not stop laughing, and was still chuckling during my run.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Bring in Spring!

Temps in the lower 50s and plenty of sunshine had me really looking forward to my run this afternoon. Another fine day to wear shorts! Tackled some awesome hills, including Mt. Hope at the beginning. Summit is reached about five miles in. Ran a gradual downhill and then turned and took another steep climb back up to the ridge, followed by another drop and climb and then a rolling downhill.

Felt great during this run. Decided to kick it in a little for the last two miles. Ran those last two in 7:03 and 6:28 respectively. Came easy, which was nice, but I also had gravity on my side (see chart below). Darn good workout.

Ran 16.0 miles @ 8:04/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 147/172
Paved roads.
Extremely hilly.
Lower 50s, sunny, windy.
Shorts, short sleeved shirt, Moeben sleeves.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Beach Run

Great day for a run on the beach, even if it was a little cool and windy. Really enjoyed it. Ran from Piney Point down to the mouth of the Saco River and back (pic to the right was taken on the jetty of the river mouth). Only the occasional other person was out enjoying the beaches. Won't be long before that changes.

Ran 14.4 miles @ 9:04/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 139/163
Packed sand, with a few patches of soft sand.
Very flat.
Upper 30s, sunny, moderately windy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, beanie.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Mt. Mansfield

Before my journey home back to Maine, Natasha and I got in a great hike up Mt. Mansfield (second peak). I'm kicking myself for forgetting to bring the camera along, as the views were spectacular. Clear blue skies allowed great visibility. To the west, Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. To the east, the White Mountains, where Mt. Moosilauke, Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Washington were especially prominent.

We had planned to run down the auto-road on the other side of the mountain and then back up, but time restraints because of our late start got in the way. Still a great workout and a very fun time.


Hiked 6.8 miles @ 23:38/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 117/153
Trails covered with packed to loose snow.
Insanely hilly.
Teens to lower 20s, sunny.
Long pants, Goretex shell, long sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Long Run in Vermont

I'm with Natasha over in Vermont. We got in a great long run from her house over some beautiful, hilly terrain... enjoying great views of Mt. Mansfield for much of the way. I felt good to start, but even better as the run went on, which was nice. Natasha started having some cramping issues in her legs around mile 20... she's coming off a snowshoe marathon last weekend, so no doubt that also didn't help her too much. We took it easy for the last leg and just enjoyed the scenery.

Ran 24.8 miles @ 9:55/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 134/169
Paved and dirt roads.
Extremely hilly.
Lower to upper 20s, sunny, windy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Thieves and Mt. Hope

I received quite a shock when I walked into my classroom this morning. Long story short, it was ransacked and about $4000 worth of equipment was stolen. I didn't have my usual students today, as we are interviewing potential students for next year, so my kids will no doubt be very bummed when they return tomorrow and find out what happened. The teacher's classroom next to mine was also hit, and equipment totaling about the same value of mine was also stolen.

So, it was a rough day and a run was much needed. I ran up Mt. Hope in the town I teach in. Very steep climb, and I followed the ups and downs on top of the ridge before enjoying a long downhill at the end of the run. Graph below appears to be pretty accurate.

Ran 11.0 miles @ 8:41/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 141/164
Paved roads.
Extremely hilly.
Mid-upper 30s, overcast with light sleet.
Long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, refl. vest, gloves (off and on)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

X-Training

Crappy weather out in the form of snow mixing with cold rain. Opted for a very light cross training workout instead. Looks like the storm will move out tomorrow morning, so I'll be back on the roads tomorrow afternoon.

The snow is also melting at a pretty substantial rate. Some areas of ground with good southern exposure are even showing... gasp... the ground! Once the snow is gone, the trail running will be increased significantly. We'll obviously have a bad mud season this year, but I'll take that over mushy snow any day.

Elliptical: 4.1 miles in 25 minutes.
AHR/MHR - N/A (chose not to wear the monitor for this light of a workout).
Random hill setting.
Level 8 out of 16.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Spring Preview

Temps were in the lower 40s this afternoon, allowing me to run comfortably in shorts and a long sleeved shirt over a short sleeved one. That was nice. It probably would have been more beneficial to run a flatter route today. I didn't struggle, but my muscles felt a little more sore than usual. Still, the heart rate remained surprisingly low, which is good. Tomorrow will likely be a cross training day because of the weather and I'm sure that will also help give my legs a bit of a break.

Ran 11.5 miles @ 8:18/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 140/164
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Lower 40s, mostly cloudy to overcast.
Shorts, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt.


858' of gain:

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Long Run to End the Week

A light snowfall at the beginning of the run turned to a pretty good moderate snowfall after a few miles. Fortunately, none of it was sticking and it added to the peaceful ambiance of the back roads I was running on. It ended about 16 miles into the run.

This route took advantage of some killer hills in my area. I'd post the elevation profile, but it looks pretty skewed and I'm questioning its accuracy. But basically there were three major, buttkicking hills with a whole slew of smaller climbs and drops in between. Great workout. Pleased with my heart rate given the effort with the elevation changes.

Ran 22.7 miles @ 8:35/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 142/167
Paved and dirt roads.
Extremely hilly.
Mid 30s to start, near 40 at end. Overcast, snowing.
Long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, refl. vest, beanie.


Week in Review:

Total mileage: 70.4

Mon: 15.1
Tue: 0
Wed: 11.1
Thu: 10.2
Fri: 0
Sat: 11.3
Sun: 22.7

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Elk Run

Spent the day relaxing before finally kicking myself out of the door for a run. It's been a whirlwind past couple of days with the school competition. I teach video production, and had five of my students total competing (another 45 or so from my school went for various other categories) against kids from all over Maine. They all did fantastic and I'm very proud of their work ethic and attitude. Two of my students earned gold medals and another earned a bronze, which was huge! They faced some very tough competition and it was great to see their hard work pay off.

Roads were very clear, which was nice considering we got another few inches of snow this morning. This was a new variation of a route, which was great because it went past an elk farm. Pretty darn cool to run past it and see a dozen or so elk just staring at me as I ran by. Will have to do this route more often in order to hear one of them bugling.

Worth noting my heart rate was a little on the high side probably due to indigestion. Great run though. Would like to try to go long tomorrow, if the weather allows it.

Ran 11.3 miles @ 8:13/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 144/160
Paved and dirt roads.
Very hilly.
Upper 30s, overcast.
Long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, refl. vest, beanie.


Thursday, March 13, 2008

Morning Run

I'm helping with a school competition some of my kids are competing in later today and all day tomorrow, which afforded me a morning run that I didn't have to wake up super early for. My legs were void of that pillars of concrete feeling they had yesterday, which was nice especially given the course I ran climbs uphill for much of the first four miles.

About halfway through the run, a bio break was needed. I was scanning the woods looking for a place where the snow wasn't too deep, when my indirect prayers to the toilet gods were answered in an unexpected way. There, up a little ways along a side dirt road was a green monolith that is a welcome site for any runner when nature calls... a porta pottie. That made my morning. I've been growing a little tired of using snowballs as toilet paper.

I'm hoping I can sneak in a run tomorrow, but that may not really be possible. If not, no biggie. There's always the weekend.

Ran 10.2 miles @ 8:15/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - N/A (forgot to wear my strap, realized this a mile into the run)
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
~20 degrees, sunny.
Long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, refl. vest, beanie, gloves.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Break in the Weather

Despite light snow for much of the day, it cleared up by early afternoon. Fortunately, the roads were clear and what fell didn't really seem to add much to what is still blanketing the grounds. Was pretty warm out to boot and I felt overdressed until the sun ducked back into the clouds during the latter part of the run.

Legs felt very heavy for the first three miles or so. After they got warmed up, it was cake. Very pleased once again with the low heart rate.

Ran 11.1 miles @ 8:28/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 138/151
Paved roads.
Moderately hilly.
40 degrees, mostly cloudy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, short sleeved shirt, refl. vest, cap.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Longer Days

Really nice to have the extra daylight in the later part of the day, especially for these longer runs. Run itself went great. Felt strong throughout, though I did keep things slow and mellow. Still, I'm pleased with the low HR for that pace, especially after yesterday's long run. Felt effortless.

Ran 15.1 miles @ 8:30/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 139/154
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 30s, sunny. Windy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, refl. vest, beanie, gloves.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Along the River and Through the Hills

Had a really nice long run today. Nearly half of it was on roads that I hadn't run on before. Nothing like a little adventure to make things fun. Part of the route paralleled the Saco River, and I was curious to see what it'd look like after yesterday's storm. To my surprise, it was still frozen over at the first bridge. The second bridge looked a bit more as I expected, with high water levels and swift moving water.

I turned right on Saco River Road, which goes through some hay fields, leaving me exposed to some pretty gnarly headwinds for a few miles. Wasn't so bad though, and I actually welcomed it in a way as it quickly evaporated my sweat but at the same time didn't leave me feeling too chilly.

Route then took some back roads where I was afforded more tree cover. Enjoyed a long climb as my direction turned away from the river. Stopped to snap a picture of a babbling brook that was pretty swift moving. Made me look forward to fly fishing season, which is just a few weeks away.

The apex of the climb was at Pleasant Hill. A pretty steep stretch took me to the top, where a little self-contained community existed. It was pretty neat. Never knew about this area before.

From there, hit the dirt roads which were full of ups and downs and led me back up to Deering Ridge, not far from my house. Enjoyed the downhill home. Felt great and strong throughout. Good run.

Ran 20.7 miles @ 8:30/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 143/167
Paved and dirt roads.
Very hilly.
Upper 20s, partly cloudy, very windy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, refl. vest, beanie, gloves (off and on).


Friday, March 07, 2008

Beach Run

I almost didn't run today. I felt very tired by the time I got out of a meeting in Scarborough. Even my favorite Tim Horton's coffee at lunch time didn't help wake me up much. As I was walking to my car, I had all but decided to bag the run when I suddenly thought that doing so would be stupid. I then got mad at myself and drove to Piney Point, parked my car, and went for a nice beach run. Took it slow and easy and rather enjoyed the views of the crashing waves and islands off the coast as I moseyed along. Good call.

Rest day scheduled for tomorrow. Good timing with a full day of cold rain expected (glad it's not snow).

Ran 12.2 miles @ 9:01/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 138/180 (I suspect the MHR is an anomaly)
Beaches with packed sand, with about a mile or so of paved roads.
Very flat.
Upper 30s, overcast, windy.
Long pants, fleece jacket, long sleeved shirt, beanie.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Long Hills

We are gaining three minutes of daylight in my area each day now, and it sure is welcome. Even with a meeting with my grad school professor after I was done teaching today, I had little worries about having to finish the run in the dark. It's nice. And we'll be gaining more daytime in the evenings after the clocks "spring forward" this weekend.

The route I did featured some longer and more gradual climbs and subsequent descents than I normally do. I really enjoyed this. I was particularly pleased to feel my sore quads on the downhills. They got a good workout the previous two days on the elliptical. I want to get them stronger for Western States 100, so I think my plan is working.

Speaking of Western States, I booked my airline tickets and reserved a rental car. I was quite happy to get a great deal on both. I'm also officially registered for the Vermont 100. It's going to be a great summer!

Ran 12.0 miles @ 8:05/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 147/164
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Lower 40s falling to upper 30s. Sunny.
Long pants, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, cap.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

The North Face Does an About Face

As a follow-up to my entry yesterday about the questionable set-up for picking up race packets for The North Face's Bear Mountain 50, the company is now allowing racers to pick up packets at the race start/finish area the day before the race.

While it's great they saw the error in their ways and made the steps to correct it, it's still a shame that it took several irate runners to voice their complaints in order to get them to do so. I can only imagine they had no choice to do otherwise and it's a shame it wasn't THEIR first choice to begin with, one that should have been obvious.

But to their credit, they did correct it. I'm still leaning towards not running the race though. I'm still a bit sketched out.

Dodging the Slush

Storm ended by mid-day today, leaving a blanket of slush in its wake. Even my little dumbbell loop around the high school and junior high school wasn't safe. No worries, just hit the elliptical and stat bikes instead. Really hit the elliptical hard and got in a good workout. Stat bike was just for cool down.

Elliptical: 7.2 miles in 30 minutes.
Level 12 out of 16.
Random hill setting.
AHR/MHR - 156/168

Stat bike: 4.8 miles in 20 minutes.
Level 10 out of 16.
Small hills setting.
AHR/MHR - 116/127

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Good Day to Cross Train

Storm moving in, so I opted to hit the school's gym. Was anxious to run though, as the legs and the body are seemingly really starting to come around lately. Energy has been high lately. The nasty bronchitis/cough or whatever is finally all but gone away and my legs are raring to go. But today's workout was a good compromise with the weather. Felt strong throughout.

Elliptical: 8.3 miles in 40 minutes.
Level 10 out of 16
Random hill setting
AHR/MHR - 151/164

When Corporations Attack - The North Face

As noted in my updated race schedule last week, I had some reservations about entering the Bear Mountain 50 sponsored by The North Face. The race is part of the "Endurance Challenge" series of ultras put on by the corporate giant and last year there were many reports from runners about awful race management. This ranged from poorly marked courses to some races not even getting off the ground. Unfortunately, it seems like they haven't learned their lesson.

Before I explain why, I think I should point out that a couple of people I consider good friends are race directors. They put their heart and soul into each event, utilizing impressive organizational and communication skills to reach their primary goal of ensuring a fun and safe time for the runners. They carefully plan the routes and make sure the aid stations are well stocked and well staffed. They go through pain staking measures to make sure that the runners are getting the most bang for their buck. And there is a lot more to it than that, I'm sure. A lot. And what do they get out of it? The satisfaction that the people participating in their event had a good time. And that's all they really want out of it.

It is my best guess that these traits are shared among most race directors. I say this because I can see the same result in other races where I don't know the race directors: Many runners having a fun and challenging time. It is obvious these RD's share many of the same traits as my RD friends. And in most cases, I can imagine it's their way of giving back to a community they love so much.

The nice thing is most runners don't take these things for granted. Many go out of their way to be nice to volunteers and always say thank you. I have always done this as a runner, and have always appreciated it as a volunteer. While it's not always obvious who the RD of a race is, I'm sure they receive their fair share of thank you's as well.

So given this very successful grass roots approach that most races have, it contrasts heavily with what The North Face is doing. As I mentioned before, I had hoped they would have learned their lessons last year. However, a pretty big red flag has just gone up. One that is surprising and in stark contrast to the way most other successful races are put on.

Bear Mountain, where the race is being held, is located about an hour and a half up the Hudson River from New York City. You can maybe get there a little quicker if traffic is on your side. Conversely, you can also get there a lot longer if the traffic isn't. Most races have you pick up the race packets where the race is. It only makes sense, right? That's where the race is after all. But unfortunately this race is requiring runners to pick up their packets at The North Face store in Manhattan. Yup, that's right. In Manhattan. Not at the race... in Manhattan.

If you're from out of town, the obstacles are many. The tolls and parking fees alone will total about half of the race fee. But that's nothing compared to the stress of trying to get around Manhattan. I lived in the NYC area for several years, and still found getting around a heart racing and exhausting experience, and not the kind you get from running. It's a hassle, and not just a small one.

I think it's pretty obvious that The North Face is trying to get runners to come to their store. I think they're hoping people will buy stuff there. I don't know this for sure, but what other reason is there? I am open minded that I might be missing something. But if I'm not, it's a slap in the face to runners to make them go so far out of their way to pick up a race packet. No, scratch that... a punch in the face. And maybe even a kick in the ribs after you go down.

But in all fairness, if you don't want to go to Manhattan, they do have another swell option: For an extra fee of $17.50, they will mail it to you. Oh yeah, and it won't go out until the Wednesday before the race. And oh yeah, someone has to sign for it, so make sure you or someone else is home. One might argue that $17.50 is not a lot of money, but given that most races have you pick up the packets at the... gasp... place where the race is being held, it's also a punch in the face and a kick in the side.

You would think an organization with the resources that TNF has would go out of their way to make sure they wouldn't have a dismal repeat performance from last year. If something that should be as simple as picking up a race packet is made to be such a pain in the ass and a seemingly blatant and lame attempt to get people to check out their store, than what else is in store (and I'm not talking merchandise)?

I'm going to express my concerns with the race director and what ever other corporate types I can find out the names of at The North Face. I'd really like to hear their reasons why. Am I missing something and will they point it out? Will I get an honest answer that they messed up again? Or, will I get a bunch of hot air, the kind that's typically dished out by large corporations that aren't in touch with their target audiences? Stay tuned...

But there is also another choice, and that is the option I'm going to take: Not run in this event. So what instead? I already know. It's a race that I know is very well organized and put together. It was my first ultra a couple of years ago, and one I also helped out at last year while I was recovering from knee surgery. The Pineland Farms Races are put on by three race directors who I know, and two of them very well. They are top notch guys who put on a top notch event. The packets are at the race start, the trails are well marked, and the volunteers do a fantastic job. There are no worries about this event for the runners, other than their own limitations. It's a very fun time with a festive atmosphere, and you have race directors who not only know what they are doing, but they don't have any other motive other than you, the runner, have a great time and memorable experience.

Makes sense to do this one instead, right?

Logic. Got to love it.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Dumbbell Loop

Opted for multiple trips running the dumbbell shaped loop around the high school and junior high school to avoid the visibility and traffic problems caused by the now even higher snow banks around the town I teach in. This didn't seem as boring as it did last Thursday. I think that's because I was thankful to run on firm terrain after yesterday's death march through the loose snow.

Battery was dead on the Garmin, but I could accurately calculate my pace since I knew the loop was 1.15 miles. After completing each loop, I drew a line for each lap in the dirt and salt caked on the rear window of my car to help keep track.

Ran 10.3 miles @ 7:58/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - N/A
Paved roads.
Slightly hilly.
Lower 40s, mostly to partly cloudy.
Long pants, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Trail Monster 50K... err, 33.4K... Fat Ass

Original plan, run the three loops that were 10.5 miles each. That didn't end up happening, at least not for me. No real problems, I just found the conditions a bit more grueling than I would have liked. The snow from yesterday's storm wasn't very well packed down, and it loosened up considerably as the day got warmer. After 21 miles, I decided to call it a day per my plan of building hay in the barn, and not burning it. Doing a third loop would have torched it with these conditions.

It was a great day though. My friend Natasha was in town and we joined Ian, Emma, Mindy, Blaine, Chuck, Erik, James and a few other people who's names I forget. Not all planned to do three loops, but it was still nice to start out with 11 folks at the beginning. Stephen showed up in the morning, but reluctantly he decided not to run because of stomach issues.

First loop went well. Snow was loose in some spots, but pretty manageable. Finished it pretty strong, but decided to take it easier on the second loop. That was a good thing as the snow really loosened up by this point. Running on it was just very difficult and a bit dangerous. Natasha also started to not feel very well and midway through the second loop we decided to call it a day when we got back to the parking lot. It was a good choice and I don't regret it. Still got in a great long run that left gas in the tank for the week ahead. Really felt I helped build with this run rather than destroy.

Looks like Ian, Emma and Erik went on for a third loop. They're animals!

Ran 21.6 miles @ 12:59/mile pace.
AHR/MHR - 135/162
Trails and dirt roads with snow, loose in long stretches.
Extremely hilly.
Upper 20s to mid 30s, sunny, windy.
Long pants, long sleeved shirt, short sleeved shirt, beanie, gloves.